Watch a bear escape from a car with a little help from police

A bear which was trapped in a car was freed by cops who had to shoot out the vehicle’s rear window.

As the glass shattered, the bear was able to scramble from the seat through the newly-made exit and run into the woods.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, in Sacramento, California, responded to a report of a bear in a car in South Lake Tahoe, which had apparently let itself in to get to food but was then unable to get out.

In a video posted on YouTube, the attending officer explains to the residents: “We’re going to try and get him out, because he isn’t happy at all.”

He uses a shotgun to shoot bean bag rounds into the back windscreen, breaking it enough to allow the bear to escape.

The force published the video to warn the public about leaving cars unlocked, and with food inside.

“Please do not leave food in cars or your vehicles unlocked, especially in bear country,” it wrote. “YES, bears can open car doors.”